About me:

I began like so many of you: riding my bicycle as a kid.  For my sisters and me it was our source of freedom, riding our banana seat Schwinn Fair Ladies around our Chicago neighborhood.  I upgraded to a green Schwinn Suburban at the age of 10 when my elementary school teacher, Miss Story, gave her bicycle to me!  At that time I couldn’t believe I was allowed to ride an adult bike with gears! 

Epic Wheel Works owner Jude Kirsten in New Zealand 2009

Since my love affair with bikes and adventure began it was always apparent that I was madly, deeply, and helplessly in love with wheels.  Call it young love but I was immediately taken in with every minute characteristic from the glistening spokes, high flanges, low flanges, and oh, that sweet whirring sound that effortlessly lulled me into a deep trance on a wide open stretch of road time and time again.  I knew I was in bad, bad shape.  But, what’s a girl to do?

Well, what I did was throw myself into the affair wholeheartedly.  Of course, I rode and rode and rode.  But that didn’t even begin to satiate my burning passion.  Then, I became a mechanic thinking that if I worked on bikes I would appease my desire.  But after five years of wrenching I discovered I was wrong.  I fell deeper in love.  Every time I saw a wheel spinning listlessly on a truing stand I would fall under its spell and be driven to the wildest corners of my imagination—long, winding roads would peel out of my dreams, freedom would come springing forward from the shadows, and for a moment I would feel completely and unexplainably weightless.   And so realizing there was nothing I could do to appease my passion I went to get my DT Swiss wheel building certification from the United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, Oregon.

And of course I wouldn’t be the mad scientist that I am without the kind, benevolent folk who patiently taught me things about wheels that couldn’t be found in “the books.”  They inspired me and I’ll always be grateful. 

And so now it is my pleasure to share my years of expertise with you and help you ride a quality, custom, hand built bicycle wheel set.